


Meet Me in Davy Jones' Locker

by ericsonclan



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Blood and Violence, Fire, Flogging, Gen, Murder, Protective Siblings, Slaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Everything seemed like it was the making to be a perfect day until the twins run into trouble and were forced into a deadly struggle to survive.
Relationships: Minerva & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683673
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4





	1. Castaway Your Hopes And Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> (BY Linnea)

It was a beautiful morning today on the streets of Newhaven Landing. Both Willy and Tenn had actually been able to fall asleep fairly easily last night which meant that the four older street rats finally got to have some time alone in the morning. They mainly just focused on talking about their craziest tales that they had experienced over their many years on the streets to kill some time before they had to go scavenge.

“And I shit you not, one man tried to grab me by the collar but I wasn’t having any of it,” Mitch told the story with a cocky smile. Sophie seemed drawn into the story, leaning forward with a smile while Minnie and Violet were sitting with their backs against the alleyway wall, their hands intertwined as they listened to one of what was sure to be many of Mitch’s stories. 

“So I slid on the ground through muck and mud and slid between his legs, grabbing both sides of his pants and pulled.” Mitch started laughing. “He didn’t have many ducats but that scene alone was priceless.” 

The rest of the older street rats started to laugh when Sophie jumped in with her own tale about how she was able to grab not one, not two, but three loaves of bread one time.

“Just when I thought I had gotten us the food haul of the year, I slipped on a puddle causing all of the loaves to shoot out of my hands,” Sophie dramatically reenacted the event. “When a loaf hit one of the guards square in the face and flew into a fisherman’s bucket. I would’ve still tried to get the bread but you know how guards can be,” 

“They’re such a pain in the ass,” Mitch grumbled before a smirk took over his face. “Vi, why don’t you tell the story about how you snatched a bunch of food only for your pants to get caught in a fucking tree,” Mitch laughed when he saw Violet glare at him. 

Leaning over, she socked him in the arm.

“Ow, Vi! You’re just too embarrassed to tell that story in front of Minnie, aren’t you?” Mitch huffed angrily, rubbing the side of his arm.

“It’s not as embarrassing as what happened that one time I got caught in a fish net,” Minnie’s face turned away with a small blush of embarrassment.

“Oh come on, Minnie, it’s not that bad,” Sophie gave a comforting smile which seemed to cause Minnie’s embarrassment to go down after a few more reassuring words from Violet. After an hour or so, the stories stopped and Sophie jumped up to her feet.

“Well, it’s Minnie and my turn to provide today, so we’ll be back in no time,” Sophie slammed her hand on her heart with a huge grin. “And we’re gonna bring back a ton today! I can just feel it.”

“That’s what you always say, Soph,” Violet commented, giving Minnie’s hand one quick squeeze before their hands disconnected. “Just be safe,” Violet rubbed the back of her own neck. 

“We will, right, Minnie?”

Minnie nodded “I promise,” She paused for a moment, unsure whether she should follow through with it or not. Deciding for it, she leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Violet’s cheek which caused both of them to become blushing messes. 

Sophie grabbed onto Minnie’s arm and dragged her away.

“That was something,” Mitch smiled teasingly only for Violet to hit him again. 

\---

When the twins had gotten a safe distance away, Minnie felt her composure return. 

“Good for you,” Sophie wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulder, “Just going for it!”

Minnie’s blush returned while her eyes focused on the floor. “I don’t know how I got up the courage,”

“Maybe it’s the new haircut,” Sophie played with the longer part that went down to Minnie’s right side. 

“Maybe,”Minnie’s hand reached up to brush her left shaved side. She couldn’t believe that she had asked Sophie to help cut her hair but after a few awkward mix ups with the two of them and  
Violet it felt necessary. _Besides… it looks super cool!_ Minnie thought to herself with a proud smile. 

“Well I sure hope your new haircut is lucky! Because I want to get a special treat for everyone today: pastries!” Sophie spun around with her arms extended.

Minnie looked shocked by the ambition of her sister. They had no money for that kind of delicacy and knowing their luck they’d be caught and beaten if they tried to sneak some out. “How are we going to do that?” Minnie looked over at Sophie who seemed to radiate confidence.

“We’re gonna pick pockets until we get enough money!” Sophie’s smile lessened when she saw the unsure expression of her twin. 

“Come on Minnie, I bet it would make Vi super happy,” Sophie playfully nudged her sister’s side. 

“I-” Minnie tried to formulate a sentence, her face growing a deep red. “I bet you wanna get some for Mitch! I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

It was Sophie’s turn this time to have a deep red blush. Sophie looked at the ground. Minnie had been right on the money. She had a crush on Mitch. How could she not when he was always looking out for everyone? Even if he had a hard surface, he had a heart of gold underneath. If she could get pastries today, maybe she would get up the courage to confess her feelings. Sophie shook her head. _No, I’m gonna confess, one way or another!_ She turned back to her twin.

“That’s right!” Sophie’s voice cracked on her words. “So what if I have a crush? I also wanna get pastries for everyone else. Y’know how rare sugar is,” 

Minnie gave Sophie a teasing look before her expression turned serious. “Then let’s pick some pockets.”

\---

The thirteen year old twins set out in the town square where they hoped if they were lucky someone with deep pockets full of ducats would be walking by. But it seemed luck was not on their  
side. Only a few people were strolling around the town square and when they had successfully gotten to their pockets, they found little to no money. 

“Damn it,” Minnie kicked a pebble that skipped a few times before landing in the water. Her face fell. She really wanted to get those pastries. 

“There's gotta be money around here somewhere,” Sophie walked alongside her sister. Her eyes scanned the area carefully when she noticed a man in fine clothes walking down into an alleyway. 

Sophie’s eyes lit up at the chance and without warning she sprinted off towards the man.

“Soph!” Minnie called out, trying to catch up with her sister who was too excited at the prospect of pastries and the smiles of the other street rats to hear her. When she had finally caught up to her sister, Minnie felt an overwhelming tension. The air around made her feel like something was off. As Sophie snuck forward and extended her hand toward the coin pouch, it became clear why Minnie had that feeling. 

The man suddenly turned around with a creepy smile.

“Sophie!” Minnie sprinted forward only for another man to step out of the shadows. “Get out of my way!” Minnie hissed, throwing forward her strongest punch directly at the man’s face. The man easily sidestepped her. Minnie let out a shaky gasp when the man’s knee connected with her stomach. She fell to her knees while she winced in pain. With one last desperate attempt she kicked upwards, hitting the man between the legs. 

“Ow! You brat!” He kicked Minnie’s face causing her to fall onto the ground.

“Minnie!” Sophie spun around and was about to run forward when the man in front of her grabbed her wrist.

“Ah, ah, ah! Where do you think you’re going?” he asked with a twisted smile. 

“Let go!” Sophie turned sharply on her heel and lashed out her hand to the man’s face. Her nails scratched across it. The white scratch marks slowly filled with blood which only fueled this man’s rage. Grabbing Sophie’s hair, he slammed her body against the alleyway. Sophie gave a shaky gasp as she reached out to try and break free. 

“Tie up the other one,” The man motioned to Minnie who was trying to get up; her eyes were filled with rage. He looked at Sophie with a pleased smile. “Looks like we finally found two that he’ll be willing to pay a hefty price for.” 

Minnie felt her hands twist behind her back as they were bound with rope. 

“Stop it!” Sophie tried to reach out to Minnie. “Leave my sister alone!” Sophie’s cries fell on deaf ears though.

“Let go off her!” Minnie pleaded, struggling to break free while she watched Sophie’s hand get bound and a blindfold and gag tied around her. Soon Minnie’s sight was blocked and she was forced up to her feet. 

“Man, do you think he’ll take in a pair of siblings though?” one of the voices asked, harshly pushing Minnie forward. 

“I’ll make sure we sell ‘em. That stupid bastard hasn’t paid us well in weeks,” The other man grumbled. 

After a few minutes the twins were thrown roughly onto the ground before their bound hands were tied to what felt like a wooden pole. It was silent for a few minutes when suddenly Minnie heard short, terrified sobs from Sophie. Reaching out blindly, she tried to push her hands out to see if they could find her sister’s. When she had found Sophie’s hand she held onto it fiercely, her own throat burning from her emotions. Her mind spun with images of the other street rat kids: Vi, Tenn, Mitch, Willy. Minnie felt her tears soak into her blindfold. The fear of never seeing them again overwhelmed her.

\---

A few days passed like this. The sisters sat bound to the pole, only given breaks rarely and then thrown back in the room. The constant swaying back and forth of the room made Minnie guess they were on a ship but there was no way to tell. The only sound was that of their sobs that they both tried to hide to be strong for the other. Each day they failed. It seemed like this could be their existence for the rest of their lives when suddenly Sophie and Minnie were pulled up to their feet. Both of them were too weak to give much of a struggle. It was only after a few minutes that their blindfolds were torn off. Both of the twins flinched at the bright sunlight as their eyes adjusted. 

“Here they are!” the slaver gestured to the two of them. “So how much are you willing to pay?”

A pirate walked forward with a large black hat on. His dark bearded face looked down at them with disinterest. 

“They look like nothing special,” the pirate spit to the side before looking at the slaver again. “If you’re so desperate, I’ll give you some spare ducats,”

“No! You see this?” The slaver pointed to his face where the scratch marks still stood. “That one gave them to me while her sister gave quite a mighty kick to Phillip,” Phillip glared down at Minnie  
with hatred in his eyes. 

“Wait! Sisters? Why the hell would I want to deal with that sort of shit?” The pirate looked over at the slaver. 

“Because, not only are they fighters, but you could use them against each other. Makes them easier to bend to your will,” the slaver smiled wickedly, “Observe. Phillips,” 

Phillip drew his blade and moved to place it against Minnie’s throat. 

Sophie’s eyes widened in fear and she tried to move forward only to receive a harsh hit to her face. 

“If you want your sister to live, you’ll not move an inch,”

Sophie froze, not moving even a millimeter. 

“See? They still need some discipline but with the fire in their eyes and the leverage you can use against them, they’d make a fine addition to your crew.” The slaver tried to persuade the pirate  
who seemed to seriously be considering his words.

“Fine, you.” He motioned to a pirate grunt behind him, “Give him twice the normal pay,” 

“Aye, Captain!” 

The captain looked down at the twins, suddenly interested in the pair. After the money was exchanged, the sisters were thrown into a room with three other slave kids. Minnie and Sophie’s gags and bounds had been taken off. After a few minutes of silence they were called to the upper deck to start their daily chores. While they were doing some chores and the pirates were looking away, the first slave child spoke.

“Hey there,” A boy with brown wavy hair and one ear smiled at them. “I’m Jacob,”

“And I’m Thomas,” The tall boy gave a half-hearted smile at the twins. 

Minnie stepped in front of Sophie, placing a protective hand out. 

The black-haired girl laughed. “Please, don’t act heroic. That will only get you killed,” The girl kicked her feet off the wall as she strolled forward. “The only way you’ll survive with the Sea Wolves is if you follow their every command or you’ll end up like Jacob,” She gestured to his missing ear, “Or worse.”

Minnie looked around confused while Sophie held onto her arm.

“How do we-” Sophie started only to be cut off by the girl’s scoff.

“Don’t even think about escaping,” the girl gave a whispered hiss. “You see that body over there?” She motioned to a body that was thrown on one of the nearby boulders. His guts had been cut out and were slowly being eaten by crows. Sophie and Minnie both tried not to puke at the sight. 

“That was Gauis,” Thomas whispered. “I know Mary is being intense, but she’s right. Follow the orders if you want to live.”

The twins remained silent, both of them shaking from fear as they continued the multitude of chores and work on the ship. 

Soon nightfall had come and they were given some stale bread and told to get back to their sleeping quarters. 

“If you want, you two could have some of my bread,” Jacob offered with a smile. 

Mary’s hand soon found the back of his head, hitting it harshly.

“Dumbass! Just eat your food. Don’t worry about the newbies.” Mary munched on her roll, inhaling it in seconds. Dinner was over and it wasn’t long before Thomas, Mary and Jacob fell asleep. 

Minnie and Sophie curled up in the same hammock with their hands intertwined. 

“We’re going to make it,” Sophie sniffled, looking at Minnie with determination. The brightness in her eyes was shining even though she was terrified.  
Minnie nodded, giving her best smile even though her face was wet with tears. “As long as we have each other, we’ll make it. We just gotta follow orders for now and when the time comes-”

“We can get back to Tenn and the others. We’re gonna see them again. Violet, Mitch, Willy, Tenn... someday we will.” Sophie unlinked her hand and spit into it. Minnie did the same and put her hand in Sophie’s extended one. That was a street rat promise. The twins smiled at each other. Their hope had not been crushed. 

They were going to survive this and someday they would get back to the others.


	2. I Stand: An Example For All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (By Linnea)

Sophie felt her heart pounding in her ears as her eyes scanned the ship. It was utter chaos; battles were breaking out everywhere around her. She knew she needed to concentrate. If she wavered at all during this battle, who knew how the captain would react. 

Suddenly a war cry came from her right. A large, burly man swung his cutlass towards her. Sophie barely dodged in time, sliding across the deck. The man closed the distance in no time at all. With only seconds to react, Sophie lunged her two rapiers upwards, impaling the man and puncturing through the other end of his body. Sophie felt her stomach twist at the sight. The blood poured out of the wounds, coating her rapiers before crawling along her hands. The man stumbled back and tried to reach out. Sophie’s hands shook violently as she screamed, ran forward and pushed him towards the edge of his ship. His eyes looked like the light was fading from them only for him to snatch her by the hair.

“I’ll take you with me,” the pirate hissed menacingly, his grip on her hair becoming stronger with each second. Sophie felt her heart stop. After surviving the ship for a month, this was how she was going to die. Thrown into the sea, drowning with no one to know her fate. 

All of a sudden Sophie heard Minnie cry out, running towards the side of the man and embedding a dagger into his gut. The light that still clung in the man’s eyes faded, his hand becoming limp, releasing Sophie’s hair as he tumbled backwards into the sea. Minnie stepped backwards, nearly falling down as her hands trembled. She tried to stop the shaking, but she couldn’t.

“Minnie!” Sophie wrapped her sister’s hands in hers, putting a firm but comforting pressure on them. “It’s alright, I’m okay.” 

Minnie’s eyes searched Sophie’s before she nodded. “I didn’t want to… kill him” she mumbled. Sophie gave her sister a sad look before her eyes searched the area around her. There were no enemies nearby them right now.

The ship was slowly becoming enveloped in a steady sea of fire. The sea itself looked like it danced with flames, licking at the corpses that surrounded the ship.   
The sea’s top seemed to shine red from the blood seeping from the bodies that the twins and their crew left in their wake. 

Suddenly a pistol went off hitting the last known enemy who fell backwards and against the mast. His body slid down while he reached out one final time to one of the younger pirates but they simply turned a blind eye, grabbing onto one of the nearby ropes and landing on the captain’s ship. 

“We need to go,” Minnie whispered, causing Sophie to look back at her sister. She looked like she may throw up at any second. Sophie nodded and the twins ran forward, snatching a rope and swinging over only to be met by the screaming voice of their fearsome captain. 

“You fucking brat!” His hand smacked across Jacob’s face, one of the other slave children here, who fell over, knocking his head on the deck. “Why the hell did you bring back this piece of shit?”

The captain gestured towards a teen looking no older than sixteen who had been tied and gagged by some of the older pirates. A look of overwhelming fear swirled in his eyes.

“I thought that-” Jacob’s sentence was cut off by a swift kick from the captain’s boot, causing him to gasp for air, crumbling to his knees. Sophie and Minnie had walked over and stood by the two other slave children, Thomas and Mary. 

“Never bring back prisoners! That’s our pirate code!” the captain hissed, spitting onto the young teen. He tossed forward a jagged bone blade made from a shark. It skidded across the deck, landing in front of Jacob. “I’ll give you one final chance since it seemed your first punishment wasn’t enough,” The captain motioned for the prisoner to be brought over. Two crew members listened to the order, dragging along the prisoner and tossing him harshly against the deck. Jacob stood up on his feet, his hands shaking violently as he held the blade out in front of him. A moment of silence passed on the ship, a thick tension swirling in the very air that Minnie and Sophie breathed. They stared in feared silence, wondering if the kindhearted boy they knew would commit that act. 

Jacob’s pale green eyes watered, his mind spinning, trying to decide what to do. “I-I can’t,” Jacob dropped the blade.

“Fucking idiot,” Mary whispered under her breath with a sad look on her face, although Sophie swore she saw some sort of cold calculation in the black-haired older teen’s golden eyes.

The captain looked towards the other kids, his eyes scanning for the one he was going to call forth. His search stopped when his eyes fell upon Sophie. “You!” he pointed at the redhead. “Get the fuck over here,”

Sophie followed without question, her body trembling from the very aura of her captain. He leaned over, picking up the blade and placing it in Sophie’s hands. A twisted smile appeared on his lips before he turned towards his crew. “Throw the prisoner overboard!”

The crew members' smiles grew as they picked up the prisoner, throwing him into his watery grave. His cries rang out through the empty sea. The splashing of the water mixed with the fire crackling above him. The desperate pleas soon vanished, causing it to go silent once more.

“No!” Jacob cried out only to once more receive a beating. 

“Shut your trap!” one of the pirates commanded which Jacob followed. 

“Now, show them what happens if anyone betrays the code,” the captain whispered in Sophie’s ear, a sickeningly sweet tone to it. 

Sophie’s eyes looked on at Jacob’s face, tears threatening to escape his eyes at any moment. Sophie stared at him. His one ear stuck out prominently thanks to his other one missing from his last mistake. Sophie’s eyes shook when she looked at him. He looked like Willy. His wild brown hair blew in the hot wind and his eyes looked just like Violet’s. Sophie’s mind became overwhelmed by the four street rats kids that she and her sister were taken from. Her heart ached at the memories of them. Sophie felt all the feeling leaving her hands as they slowly lowered. _I can’t do it._

The blade fell to the ground, breaking the tension in the air with a soft thud. The captain grabbed Sophie by her long red hair, pulling it back so she was forced to look him in the eyes.

“How dare you think you can break the code,” he tossed her to the ground. “If you won’t make him an example, then I’ll just use you,” The captain motioned for two of his crew members to pick up Sophie. Each of them held onto one of her arms with a harsh, painful grip. Sophie let out a pained hiss when she looked up and saw Minnie’s face consumed by fear. Minnie tried to step forward only to feel the firm grips of Thomas and Mary on her arms.

“Don’t,” Thomas whispered under his breath.“You’ll only get hurt too,”

A crew member ran off to grab something and moments later returned with a barbed whip. The captain took it in his hands and circled around to face Sophie, hovering over her with his commanding presence. “The price to pay for your treason to this crew is thirty lashes,” 

Sophie’s eyes widened in horror at the punishment. Her eyes swirled with fear at the thought, but she quickly put on a brave face, staring back at the captain with defiance. 

“Consider this your first and last warning,” The captain moved back around, standing behind her. “Let this be an example to the rest of you who dare defy The Sea Wolves!” He raised up the whip, a twisted smile forming on his lips.

“Sophie! No!” Suddenly Minnie broke free of the slave childrens’ grip and ran forward only to be met with a swift punch to her gut. Minnie let out a shaky gasp before collapsing to her knees. The pirate looked at her with disgust before smacking her across the face with the hilt of his rapier. 

“No, Minnie!” Sophie cried out, trying to reach her twin, but the two crew members had an iron grip on her arms. Minnie looked up at her sister, her lips spilling out blood from the hit. She tried to reach out towards Sophie.

“Hold her down!” the captain snapped. More of the crew ran forward, grabbing Minnie’s arms and holding her down. Their knees pressed against her back so she couldn’t move. Forced to watch as the first strike landed.

The whip shot down, embedding itself in Sophie’s back, ripping through the back of her shirt. Sophie let out a pained cry, tears already starting to form in her eyes. The captain pulled the whip back fast, tearing more skin off Sophie's back. 

“Please, stop this! I’ll take the punishment! Please!” Minnie screamed, but it fell on deaf ears as they looked on when the whip connected with Sophie’s back once more. 

Sophie felt her head spin, trying to hold onto anything that would stop her from focusing on the pain. Her eyes looked over at Minnie whose face was wet with tears. Sophie’s heart fell as she locked eyes with her twin. Minnie’s eyes spun with fear as she saw Sophie receive another lash. Sophie gasped, saliva spilling out of her mouth. 

“She needs to learn!” the captain snapped the whip against her back, “That the code is law on this ship!” The whip crashed down faster and faster, tearing and shredding the skin off of Sophie’s back. Hitting spots already red and slick with blood. 

“Stop!” Minnie’s voice cracked while she tried to squirm free. She couldn’t stand to see her sister in so much pain. 

“Shut up!” A crew member walked forward and kicked Minnie’s face, causing her already bruised face to grow bloodier.

Sophie looked up, her brow laden with sweat, tears burning on her face. “Don’t hurt-” Sophie hissed sharply when another lash was added to her count. She was at fifteen. Her breath became shallow and lifeless with each strike. The blood pooled further on her back, staining the shredded remains of the back of her shirt. She felt herself growing lightheaded from the pain.

“Sophie,” Minnie’s voice snapped her back into reality, becoming an anchor for her mind to hold onto. “Hold on, please don’t give up… don’t leave me,” Minnie's sobs cut her words short. 

“Min-AAAAH!” Sophie cried out when the whip embedded into her skin once more but this time became lodged in it. The captain, annoyed by the complication, placed his foot on her back and pushed back, tearing out the whip. 

Sophie had lost track of the count; she wasn’t sure how many more she had to endure. She wasn’t sure how many more she could take. The captain lifted his hand up higher and with a mighty snap sent the whip crashing down one final time against Sophie’s back. Sophie tried to scream but nothing came out; her voice had disappeared. The two crew members that had held onto Sophie let go, letting her collapse onto the deck with a sickening sound. Without warning the captain kicked forward Jacob, placing him on his knees before taking out his pistol and shooting him point blank in the back of the head. Jacob’s lifeless body fell down beside Sophie. His empty eyes laid open, staring at Sophie. She felt overcome by her despair. Pained, quiet sobs escaped her lips. 

“Get her out of my sight,” the captain turned, motioning for them to let go of Minnie who crawled over toward Sophie and gently held her in her arms. She swayed Sophie back and forth while her blood seeped into Minnie’s clothing.

“Minnie…” Sophie whimpered, trying to reach up a hand to brush away her sister’s tears before wincing in pain, her arm falling to her side. 

Thomas walked over and kneeled down, throwing one of Sophie’s arms over his shoulder. Minnie soon followed suit. Taking Sophie’s other side, the pair walked towards their sleeping quarters. 

Sophie’s legs dragged behind her, scraping against the wood. 

Mary walked behind them with an empty expression, her arms crossed while her cuttoe sword clinked against her hip. Soon Minnie and Thomas had gotten Sophie to the room and placed her carefully on the floor.

“Hold on one minute,” Thomas scampered off, digging through his small stash of belongings before revealing some bandages and ointment he had hidden. “Here you go, I was able to grab this in the last town we raided.” He handed over the medical supplies to Minnie who gave a weak thank you before turning her attention to Sophie’s back. 

Mary leaned against the wall by the doorway, judging the twins for a moment before Thomas convinced her to go with him elsewhere. When the room was empty, Minnie tore the rest of the back of the shirt and began her work. Brushing her fingers into the ointment, she gently placed it on her twin's back who gave a whimper at the pain, flinching from it. The two remained silent as Minnie continued her work. The only sound was that of the twin’s stifled cries in hopes the other wouldn’t hear. 

“I’m so sorry, Soph,” Minnie’s voice came out cracked as she spoke. Her hands began to slowly wrap the bandages around her sister’s bloody and raw back. The bandages immediately became red with blood as each layer was added. 

Sophie remained quiet for a moment. “No, I’m sorry that you had to see that. That you ended up getting hurt because of me,”

“I was so worried, Sophie, I-” Minnie stopped when she saw Sophie’s hand reach backwards, grasping blindly for her twin’s hand. Minnie clasped onto her sister’s hand, tears streaming down her face anew. 

Sophie carefully turned around, wincing every few seconds from the pain. But she was determined to see her sister. She tried to force a smile, but Minnie didn’t buy it. Sophie froze when she looked at Minnie’s face, noticing the blood seeping from her lips and nose. 

“Minnie,”

“I’m fine,” Minnie turned her face away for a second before looking back into Sophie’s eyes. The brightness in them had become faded. It had slowly been fading with time, but now it seemed broken. Minnie moved to sit beside her twin. She looked once more into Sophie’s eyes. “I promise I’ll keep you safe from this day forward, no matter what,”

Sophie looked at her with a sad smile. “I’ll keep you safe too,” She leaned her head over, placing it on her sister’s shoulder. She was starting to feel the pull of sleep growing stronger within her. 

To be able to be free from this pain even for a second would be a gift. “No matter what, because as long as we have each other…” Sophie didn’t finish her sentence; her body had become too overwhelmed by the pain. She had passed out.

Minnie stifled her tears when she looked over at Sophie whose waist was covered in bloody bandages. “As long as we have each other, we’ll make it,” Minnie finished her sister’s sentence, her body shaking with emotion.

Quietly Minnie hummed a tune, hoping that it would bring comfort to Sophie while she slept. It helped Minnie’s heart calm as she was left in an empty prison with a heavy heart.


	3. As Long As We Have Each Other...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (By Linnea)

“Come on, get up Sophie,” Willy whined, pulling on her arm. 

“Okay, okay,” Sophie giggled while Willy desperately tried to pull her up by himself. She looked over to her right and saw that Tenn was busy getting Minnie up as well. He was being more gentle with her twin than Willy was being with her. Sophie stumbled onto her feet with a happy smile that instantly disappeared and was replaced by shock when she saw Jacob standing there, his eyes glassy and lifeless. Letting out a shaky gasp, Sophie jolted up on her hammock, nearly knocking herself out of it. 

“Sophie?” Minnie whispered, leaning over her hammock to peek down at her sister.

“I-I’m fine,” Sophie brushed her hair back that was now damp with sweat. 

Minnie didn’t look convinced but before she could speak up the door slammed open. 

A pirate walked in and tossed some weapons on the floor. “You two get above decks, the captain wants to see you.” 

The twins shared a worried looked but immediately followed the orders. Sophie swooped down and grabbed the two rapiers while Minnie grabbed her usual arm of choice, a cavalry saber. Sophie flinched as she and Minnie ran down the hallways. Even after nearly a year, her scars would still itch again and feel inflamed. She ran down, turning a sharp corner, wondering if the dream had caused it to act up again. When the twins had gotten to the upper decks they instantly felt the presence of their captain who seemed to practically ooze wrath, drawing your attention and demanding respect.

The captain walked forward, dragging with him two slave children who looked terrified out of their minds. Their bonds were still wrapped securely around their wrists. 

“It’s been a year since you’ve had the pleasure of being a Sea Wolf. So it’s time to see if you’ve earned your place or if these pieces of trash that we took on a whim will replace you,” The captain tossed the pair forward. They looked to be around fifteen and they both had light blonde hair. “Cut their binds and hand them some fucking weapons,” He turned back to the twins. “Survive this and live another year or be tossed down into the depths of the sea.” 

The captain motioned for two pirates to pull apart the twins and set them up to face off against the slave kids. Sophie felt her hand tremble. Usually she enjoyed duels, but it was whenever her and Minnie practiced against Thomas or even Mary. When it didn’t have her life hanging in the balance. Taking a deep breath, Sophie got into her fighting stance. There was no way in hell she was dying today and neither was Minnie. 

Her opponent’s eyes hardened in an instant as he lunged forward, digging his cutlass into Sophie’s leg. Sophie let out a sharp hiss before kicking the slave kid to the side. _What the hell?!?! This isn’t some newbie!_ She looked over at the captain who had a twisted grin on his face. Where did he get these slaves? Sophie didn’t have time to dwell on it though. Her enemy ran forward and dashed around her, trying to stab her through the back. Sophie lifted up her twin rapiers and blocked it. Her eyes hardened when she pushed the attack back and slashed forward, cutting through the boy’s shirt and into his gut. The slave kid took a shaky step before trying to attack again. His sword swung for Sophie’s throat but she blocked it with ease only to receive a swift kick to her gut. Sophie gasped, saliva spilling from her mouth when another kick to her face sent her flying back. Within seconds her opponent hovered over her, ready to strike her down. Waiting patiently, Sophie timed her dodge and pointed her blades upwards, embedding them into her opponent’s gut. _There, that should-_

Sophie felt her throat tighten as her enemy gripped her neck. Putting all their strength into one final desperate attempt to kill her. Sophie gasped for air, struggling as she held up her opponent. Her vision started to blur while her mind begged for air. Pouring all her energy into a final kick, she pulled the slave off her sword and sent them stumbling backwards until they hit the edge of the ship and fell into the sea. 

Sophie stared at the sea, watching her enemy struggle to live as he sunk ever deeper. Her heart twisted in pain at what she had done. It had been to survive but that only helped ease her guilt so much. Her attention was pulled away when the captain slowly clapped only to motion towards the other side of the ship where Minnie was struggling. Sophie’s eyes widened and she attempted to move forward to help only for a pirate to stop her. Their blade slowly unsheathed, signalling that if she tried anything it would cost her her life. 

\---

Minnie felt her head spin as she tried to formulate a plan. This was a stronger opponent than she had anticipated. Not only were they fast but they also had already landed two good hits to her waist. Minnie’s hand gingerly cupped her wound. _Fuck, if it continues like this I’ll have much more to worry about than scars._ She would have to buy time and see if there was an opening she could find. She backstepped the next wave of attacks, her eyes focusing on the movement of her opponent. _They seem to favor their right side, so if I wait it should leave a good opening on their left._

Her calvary blade parried and attacked before she received a punch to her gut. Minnie gasped for air only to get another deep cut to her hip. Her eyes wandered over to see how Sophie was doing. She found her twin waiting with a bloody leg at the other end of the ship. _She made it._ Minnie let out a sigh of relief before focusing again. 

It was at that moment that she found her opening. Sidestepping an attack, she kicked out their leg. The slave let out a pained hiss before Minnie grabbed their head and slammed it into her knee. Blood sputtered out of their mouth while they struggled to get away. Turning her calvary blade in her hand, Minnie thrust it down directly into her opponent’s heart. The light in their eyes faded within seconds. She was glad she had been able to give them a quick death.

“Well, looks like that slaver wasn’t wrong when he spoke highly of you,” The captain strode forward with a pleased smirk. “Get some rest, we attack The Port of Gatirood at dusk.”

Sophie and Minnie shared a look before turning sharply on their heels. There was nothing left to say. They had survived and that’s what mattered. As soon as the door closed Sophie leaned over, her hand shakily grasping the wall. It didn’t matter how many times she took a life, it always made her ill. 

She glanced over at Minnie who had collapsed to the ground; it seemed like her twin was no different. They sat around in sickening silence, letting the hours pass as they bandaged each other’s injuries. Suddenly the door opened, revealing Thomas followed closely behind by Mary who gave the same look she had always given the twins over the months: cold, calculating disappointment. 

“Captain says to get ready for the raid and to bring your torch,” Thomas instructed, moving over to grab his supplies. The twins quickly followed suit while Mary seemed to already be prepared, her cuttoe sword safely secured by her hip. “Be careful out there. Remember: no prisoners. Or you’ll end up like Jacob,” Mary’s words left a bad feeling in Sophie’s mouth but she pressed forward with her task. “Or like Sophie,”

Minnie spun around and ran forward, her arm pulled back for an attack, only to receive a devastating punch from Mary. 

“Minnie,” Sophie kneeled beside her sister whose nose was bloody and broken. Sophie glared up at Mary and rose up to attack only for a tight grip to be placed on her arm by Thomas.

“Stop. Mary was just stating a fact,”

Sophie’s eyes fell.

“Honestly, I don’t know why the captain keeps you two around. Neither of you have used your brains for more than one fucking minute. You think you can be a decent person and a Sea Wolf? One day you’ll end up dead because you can’t follow through,” Mary turned and disappeared down the hall. 

Thomas didn’t say anything but one look at his expression made it clear he felt the same way. 

“Let’s go,” Minnie whispered as she accepted Sophie’s hand up. “We just gotta get through tonight.” Minnie’s voice faltered. Her hands shook and her stomach turned. She hated raids. Attacking an innocent town for more gold and booze that the Sea Wolves didn’t need. It was utterly repulsive. And yet they had no choice but to follow along. Sophie had run out of chances the day she refused to kill Jacob, and as for Minnie while she hadn’t broken any part of the code she had stretched the limits more than enough times. One misstep and one or both of them would be corpses on the seven seas. 

Sophie ran up beside Minnie and gave her hand a quick squeeze with a smile she was clearly forcing to help ease Minnie’s guilt. “Be safe,” With that Sophie got pulled along with Mary who looked annoyed by the pairing she gad been assigned.

\----

They ran into the city, sneaking to the western side. Minnie took a deep breath; she needed to focus if she was going to survive. Following the nimble and cunning Thomas, she made her way into the western section of the port town. 

Thomas raised his hand and gave the signal. 

Lighting her torch, Minnie threw it, wincing when it hit the roof of a building and engulfed it in flames. Civilians ran out of the building in hopes of safety only to be cut down by Thomas and Minnie. The pair made their way into the building and started to pillage it. They continued this pattern, taking out guards and innocents alike to get the riches for their captain. 

Step by step, Minnie felt her heart twist more in disgust at herself for what she was doing to survive. It was only when they were at the end of their raid that Minnie had reached her limit. Suddenly a street rat no older than sixteen ran forward with a mighty war cry and a tiny dagger. Minnie slashed out her blade without even realizing it and slit his neck. The brown haired street rat reached forward, clutching onto Minnie’s clothes. 

“I- guuuuh,” his words became incoherent thanks to the blood filling his throat. Minnie felt her breath quickening and her body shaking. This was all too much. The similarities between her victim and Mitch, the way he acted and looked, the fear in his eyes. Minnie stood frozen in shock at what she had just done.

Thomas grabbed the body and tossed it aside. “Focus or you’ll die.”

\----

“Kill whoever you find. I won’t put up with any of your bullshit,” Mary hissed back at Sophie who solemnly nodded.

How many lives had she taken over the year? Sophie watched as the flames from her torch licked the edge of a building, setting it ablaze. Guards started to run forward. They were swiftly cut down by Mary and Sophie. Sophie stared at the blood dripping from her blade. _I can’t do this anymore._

Suddenly a small cry appeared from Sophie’s right side. Instinctively she lunged her rapiers forward which met flesh in seconds. Sophie looked to see if she had successfully taken out her target only for her eyes to widen in horror. There on the end of her blades was a ten year old kid. _No, no, no._ Sophie looked at the blood seeping into the child’s clothes, slowly turning his whole chest red. Within seconds he was dead. Sophie fell to her knees, utterly overcome with guilt at what she had done. 

“Hey, don’t pull this kind of shit,” Mary kicked Sophie’s side but she didn’t respond when all of a sudden a second person jumped out. 

“William, no! I’ll fucking kill you!” 

Sophie’s glassy eyes wandered upwards to see someone who looked like the older sibling of the child she had just killed. 

Mary walked forward and casually slit his throat. He dropped dead right beside his brother. Sophie felt tears escape her eyes. Using all her willpower she rose to her feet. She needed to survive through this night.

\----

The raid lasted all night long. The screams of the innocent rang throughout the town while the Sea Wolves took what they wanted. When they returned they were greeted with cheers and dancing in front of the crew members at the haul they had gotten. But the twins couldn’t even stand being around the rest of the crew for another second. Wordlessly, they walked to the sleeping quarters, collapsing by the wall. Minnie and Sophie sat around in silence. The air around them was suffocatingly grim. 

“I wanna escape,” Minnie whispered, hiding her tear-stained face behind her knees. “I can’t stand this… who we’re becoming to survive. I-” Minnie’s sentence was cut off by her sharp sobs. 

Sophie looked across at the other wall. “I want to too. I don’t care if we die,” She stared Minnie right in the eyes. “I want to try to get back to Violet and Mitch and the others. I want to never have to be like this again,” She motioned to her blood-stained clothes. 

“Then let’s do it. Tonight when everyone is getting drunk and partying.” Minnie’s eyes hardened with determination “We can make it,”

Sophie nodded in agreement. “Let’s sneak some supplies and then wait till everyone is asleep.”

\----

The twins moved through the ship in tense silence, two bags filled with the necessary supplies thrown over their shoulders. Everyone was asleep by this time in the night, too drunk or worn out from the raid to wake for several hours. Minnie looked out at the deck, her eyes scanning for any possible witness. When it seemed all clear, she motioned Sophie to follow her. The twins made quick work of the ropes that tied the rowboat. There were only three ropes. When they were at the final one they heard a soft sound behind them. 

Sophie turned around first to see what made the sound only to get punched across the face and pulled back with a cuttoe sword to her throat. Minnie spun around and felt her heart stop at the sight. Mary stood there with a look of disgust and anger, her sword pressed against Sophie’s neck.

“Don’t. Fucking. Move. A. Muscle.” Mary hissed. “Toss aside that dagger you stole,” Her eyes gestured towards Minnie’s right hip.

“Mi-” Sophie froze and winced in pain when the cuttoe blade cut deep across her collarbone, tearing and shredding her skin like it was nothing. 

“I’m not fucking around. Next word out of your mouth or any funny business and I’ll slit your throat,”

Minnie took out the dagger, showing it to Mary before tossing it towards her. 

“Good,” Mary’s eyes looked into Minnie’s with disdain. “I always hated the two-” Mary let out a sharp gasp when Sophie jabbed her in the gut. 

Unsheathing her own dagger, Sophie sliced upwards, cutting deeply in and across Mary’s face, creating a crimson line from the corner of her lip to the edge of her eye. Muscle and flesh melded together and pulled apart, exposed to the night air. Mary flailed about and was going to attack when Minnie snatched up her tossed dagger and embedded it into Mary’s gut, twisting it sharply with a look of rage in her eyes. 

“Come on,” Sophie gripped Minnie’s hand in hers and the two undid the last rope. The rowboat dropped into the sea and they climbed aboard, escaping into the night.

It was tense at first. It felt like the slightest sound would tip them off to the Sea Wolves. Or that the pirates had found Mary and were already on their way. It was only when they were out into the open seas that the twins relaxed. But that was immediately taken away when they saw the large waves that surrounded their tiny boat. 

“Minnie, we have to-” Sophie stopped when she saw the look of utter terror and defeat in her sister’s eyes. Sophie turned around to see what looked to be an enormous wave crashing towards them. _Shit, if we get caught in that, we’ll drown,_ Suddenly a glint of green appeared in the wave. Sophie squinted to get a better look only for her fears to multiply. It wasn’t a wave but some sort of giant sea serpent. She didn’t have much time to act and Minnie was still frozen in fear. 

With a desperate move, Sophie pushed Minnie back onto the far side of the rowboat in hopes that the sea serpent wouldn’t reach her. But the sea serpent didn’t attack. Instead it dove down into the sea, causing giant waves to rock the side Sophie was on and throw her into the water. Sophie tried with all her might to fight the waves but it was useless. She didn’t know how to swim and soon she was pulled under and the sea serpent was upon her. Its giant mouth opened, revealing layers of sharp teeth before swallowing Sophie whole. 

“Sophie!” Minnie cried out, looking over the side of the rowboat while clinging onto it for dear life. Before she had even been able to fully process what happened, Sophie had been tossed into the water and within seconds was gone. 

Minnie felt her heart stop. Her body became limp as it fell back into the rowboat. Sophie was gone. She had fallen in and now her body was somewhere at the bottom of the sea. Minnie felt tears pour out of her eyes as she clutched onto the sides of her head. 

“AAAAAAAAH!” Minnie punched the rowboat while the seas suddenly seemed to calm down. _Sophie..._ The image of her sister’s smiling face flashed in her mind. _Sophie..._ her smile, her brightness, it was gone. _We were supposed to make it out together._ Minnie leaned forward and gagged. It felt like she couldn’t breath; her head felt thick and heavy as it spun to try and process the truth. Sophie was dead. And with it Minnie’s fragile hope. 

\----

Days passed as the rowboat floated across the seas. But it didn’t matter to Minnie. She was never going to see her twin again. She was never going to find their home and their family of street rats. It was all pointless. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. 

“Captain! There’s someone in the water!” a voice called out, causing Minnie to look up only to be greeted by drawn blades and pointed guns. 

\----

Lilly strolled forward, her twin rapiers clinking against her hip with each step. “What the hell could be so important to pull me away from plotting the next course?” Lilly stopped by David who smiled at her. “Looks like we found a new recruit.”

Lilly raised an eyebrow; it was unusual for someone to catch David’s interest. She looked over at the weather-torn rowboat where a redhead girl who looked no more than fourteen sat staring up at her. She looked pathetic, weak, as if her very soul had been crushed and only a husk of her remained. Lilly was about to order to kill when she noticed something unusual in this one’s eyes. 

There was a bitter fire in them, one that intrigued Lilly. With a twisted smile, she turned to David. “Pull her up,”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Lilly watched the girl be hoisted up. _Maybe this is exactly what I need._

Minnie stared up at the captain of the ship with empty, hopeless eyes. Sophie's voice rang out in her mind.

_‘As long as we’re together. We’ll make it.’_

New tears escaped Minnie’s eyes, her heart aching in more pain with each second. 

_Sophie, without you I can’t make it._


End file.
